News By Department: MSU Extension- Oktibbeha County

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Gardeners who want to preserve their abundant harvests by canning should make their list and check it twice -- now, before it’s time to begin canning. Home canners should be sure they have the right recipes and equipment for the foods they intend to preserve. They should also make sure they inspect all their equipment.

Eggs are a traditional part of Easter décor and celebrations, and it is risky to eat or use these hard-boiled eggs for recipes after the festivities are over.

Propagating plants may sound like a hard task to take on, but it’s a cost-effective way to add beautiful plants to your garden. It’s yet another reason you should have friends who are gardeners!

Controller’s Generation II and Controller’s Generation III 4-H club members in Oktibbeha County pick produce from a community garden in Maben, Mississippi, on August 6, 2019.

Growing food on Earth is challenging enough, but two Armstrong Middle School robotics teams are exploring the cultivation of leafy greens in space.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Second- through fourth-graders who attend an agricultural event at Mississippi State University Nov. 14-18 will be able to tell their parents about the sources of food, clothing and other common products.

The MSU Extension Service will conduct the fifth annual FARMtastic at the Mississippi Horse Park. Weekday activities begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 1 p.m.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Third-graders attending an agricultural event at Mississippi State University Nov. 10-15 will be able to tell their parents about the sources of food, clothing and other common products.

STARKVILLE -- Land owners and property managers can get a firsthand look at the latest land management techniques during a special tour organized by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

The Golden Triangle Wildlife Management Tour will be Aug. 7 in Clayton Village at a property located on Highway 182 about 200 yards east of the MSU Golf Course. Signs will be posted along the highway. Registration begins at 4:30 p.m. Tours depart at 5:30 p.m. Water will be provided on the tour wagons.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Area forage and livestock producers are invited to Mississippi State University July 10 for half-day program on warm-season forage production.

Registration for the Warm-Season Forage Tour begins at 8:30 a.m., and the tour lasts from 9 a.m. to noon at the Henry H. Leveck Animal Research Farm at MSU. It is sponsored by the MSU Extension Service Forage Program and the Oktibbeha County Extension office.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mary Jane Coign, of Starkville, is no newcomer to the agricultural industry -- or the challenges women face in it.

Coign grew up on a farm as one of four daughters, and her father trained her and her sisters to help with farm chores out of necessity. These skills eventually paid for most of her college tuition at Mississippi University for Women.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Cattle producers can learn ways to improve their pastures at upcoming events taking place around the state this spring.

On April 10 in Starkville, the Oktibbeha County Extension office is hosting a cool-season forage tour at the Henry H. Leveck Research Farm on the south side of the Mississippi State University campus. The evening tour will be from 5 to 7 p.m.

Topics will include alfalfa, clovers, tall fescue, oats and ryegrass.

JACKSON – An interactive, educational event aimed at teaching third-graders about the importance of agriculture comes to the Dixie National Livestock Show and Rodeo Feb. 7-8.

FARMtastic offers hands-on exhibits that help children learn the role of agriculture in the production of food and other products used in daily life. It will be set up in the Mississippi Trade Mart at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Building a habit of learning by doing is beginning early for some Oktibbeha County students.

Middle- and high-school students enrolled in the Studio School project founded by Mississippi State University professor Kay Brocato are serving as volunteer instructors with Body Walk, a hands-on exhibit that tours the state. Sponsored by the MSU Extension Service, Body Walk teaches elementary students about healthy habits, hygienic practices and the science behind the human body.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A new agricultural event targeting third-graders will take place at Mississippi State University Nov. 5-9.

FARMtastic is an educational program designed to help children learn the sources of their food, clothing and other products. They also will learn about wildlife and health issues.